Chapter 164

Ashara soaked in the warm water, inspecting her new form. It was strange to have only two legs, ones that weren't well protected and were essentially inferior in all aspects. However, just the fact that they were not an inconvenience when contorting her body, and she could easily reach all of them to clean without resorting to magic was enough to make her understand why her mother took human form more often than not.

She could still feel that, should she desire it, her normal and original form was easily available, though unlike her mother, she had not gained the Humanization Skill. She had avoided looking at her Status for fear of what it might say. To her, it was only yesterday that Vell had been ripped from her arms, stolen away by humans, yet now there was now a woman claiming to be her very same Vell, grown and an adult.

She of course looked very similar to Ashara herself, so it wasn't hard to believe that they were related in some manner, but Ashara had complex feelings regarding the woman. Even now her proactive form was seared into Ashara's mind, unable to be removed no matter what she tried.

It was difficult to accept that a a woman so beautiful and sensual was her daughter, especially since, even though she felt drawn to her, it wasn't the draw of a mother to a daughter, but one of a deeper desire. Ashara could still remember the days when she had yet to experience such feelings, in her memories, it was naught but five years ago even. It was only shortly after Vell's birth that she began to crave the pleasures of flesh, not something one could obtain easily when  they hid like a criminal.

Ashara could only sigh at the situation she had woken up in. There was so much she was unsure about and the more she thought about what she wanted to do or how she should act the more frustrated and anxious she became.

I was trying to remain calm, and despite the calm expression on my face, I was unable to stop pacing back and forth. Both Arya and Steria had tried to calm me down, but it wasn't a simple task, especially when they themselves were somewhat nervous at the thought of meeting my mother. I had lived thirteen years thinking she was dead, and now that she was alive and in good health I actually found myself at a loss for what I should do or how I should act.

Ashara was my biological mother, yet I couldn't cease the racing of my heart as I thought about her. I knew that she had at the very least gone through Corruption, as I had gained a fourth Retainer, Ashara Voras, Retainer of Webs, a fitting title considering she had been an Arachne, though neither I or Irellia knew what she had become. Irellia said that normally one would evolve into an Arachas, an Arachne that was able to take human form thanks to the Humanization Skill, but Irellia was almost positive that Ashara was not using the Humanization Skill, but rather had gained a different Skill, or had become a race that was fully humanoid to begin with, though she had never heard of such a race stemming from any Arachne's evolution, something that was a rare case in and of itself.

There was no choice but to wait for Ashara to check and tell us herself, unless I was able to connect her to a Status Plate, but that was something that needed her cooperation so it wasn't possible to just sneak a private look with my current Skills. The waiting was nearly unbearable and there were several times that I had nearly just walked int0 the bathroom to corner her and just spill everything I was and had felt out. I felt that everything would be better if we could just clear up all the stale air and get her caught up to date on all the major events, but at the same time, I was worried that I would overwhelm her, something I desperately wanted to avoid.

Despite the fact that moments before my thoughts were racing, the moment I heard the door creak open as Ashara walked in, a thin silken robe that did little more than stir the imagination, I found myself unable to think, let alone speak. It didn't seem that I was the only one in such a situation as both Steria and Arya had become silent and still, though given Ashara's appearance it was only to be expected.

If one were to describe Ashara, it would be easiest to say that she was a softer and more feminine version of myself, or rather, I was a more erotic and athletic version of her. With the both of us in the same room standing not too far apart I didn't doubt that we must have looked closer to sister, or even twins, though Ashara lacked the telltale signs of my Yin Phoenix heritage, such as my eyes, and lightly purple tinged hair tips. I imagined if I had been born a normal noble human that I likely would have appeared much like Ashara did now.

I let out a deep breath as I collected myself, before sitting at the same round table that Arya and Steria were sitting at, while motioning for Ashara to do the same. "Mom." I said tentatively as she sat down across from me. "This is Arya and Steria, my wife and lover, though I am planning on marrying her."

I figured it would be best to start with introductions, and I didn't miss the quick changes in her expression when I mentioned wife, lover, and marrying Steria. Ashara had been clearly tense, and mentioning that Arya was my wife had caused a look of further tension, her brow furrowing and the corner of her lips lowering before being overwritten by confusion, and finally settling back at a slightly more positive neutral when I mentioned I was taking Steria as another wife.

The largest problem was that I couldn't tell if that was because she was disappointed that she had missed the wedding, or if there were deeper feelings behind it, but I wasn't going to force her to talk about it. She greeted both Arya and Steria, who responded sluggishly as if they were having a hard time thinking of Ashara as my mother. However, she paid it very little mind as her eyes focused back on me. "There is very much I want to talk about..." She started pausing for a moment. "But I don't know where I. We should begin."

"How about from the beginning, there are a lot of things you don't know that you should, okay?"

Ashara nodded, as she focused on me intently. "I'm ready."